Rose-Colored Lies
by Lacey Darling
Summary: Since when did Ciel have a problem dealing with lies? Easy answer: never. But this woman's lies could quite possibly give him a headache that's too much trouble to deal with. And that damn butler of his is no help, either. - In which Sebastian finds a new toy and Ciel makes room for a new piece on the board he controls.
1. Eyes of Rose

Chapter One - Eyes of Rose

Elegant, flowing script covered the pristine letter that sat open before Ciel as he sipped at his morning tea – brewed to perfection yet again. This was the first personal correspondence he'd received from Her Majesty in a few weeks. Foolish of him to think the peace would last any longer. He read through the details of the queen's request with little interest. Once again there were murders to investigate, suspicious characters to examine, mysterious circumstances to inspect. It wasn't until the last paragraph that he became intrigued.

"Assassins?" he asked under his breath, leaning forward to reread that section.

"What was that, my lord?" Sebastian asked from his side. Ciel glanced up at him before frowning down at the letter again.

"Her Majesty suspects that this recent string of murders has been carried out by an assassin order that has surfaced over the past few months. She doesn't know much about the order and wants me to investigate them alongside the murders."

"Most troubling indeed, my lord."

Ciel sighed and leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of his tea. As if his job wasn't already hard enough with reapers and angels mucking about. Now he had to add assassins to the mix, and who was to say where they came from or what they wanted? The list of victims seemed random. Some were lowly commoners, and some were nobles that he'd met before and knew well – or as well as he could. The only mutual factor seemed to be the efficiency of the murders and the lack of suspects.

Sebastian took the young earl's cup of tea when he'd finished, and then left to return the dishes and cart to the kitchen. Ciel picked up the letter and flipped through the pages one last time, lamenting the promise of quiet that the morning had offered when he first awoke. His routine had been perfectly uninterrupted. Now, he would have to move around his schedule to fit in a trip to the city. He supposed he should have been grateful that the most recent murder was nearby, so he at least had a starting point, but the rest of the incidents were scattered around the country and he doubted he'd be able to visit them all. With any luck, he'd smoke the murderers out before he needed to go that far.

By the time Sebastian returned, Ciel had decided the changes he would make to his schedule. In the midst of relaying the changes to Sebastian, a frantic knocking pounded on his study's door. Ciel exhaled, refraining from rolling his eyes at the panicked cries of his servants, and looked at Sebastian. The butler opened the door and in tumbled Bard, Finny, and Mey Rin.

"Excuse me sire, something's terribly – "

"A woman!"

"-covered in blood and-"

"Finny saw her-"

"-dreadful, it is!"

Ciel slammed his cane on the floor, silencing the competing voices. "Slow down! I can hardly understand what you're saying. Finny, what did you see?"

Finny looked shocked that Ciel addressed him directly. He fumbled for the words and then pointed to the window. "Look outside!"

With a huff, Ciel stood and stalked over to the window, Sebastian his ever-present shadow. Sure enough, they could see a figure stumbling down the road: a woman barely able to hold her head up. Even from far away her clothes appeared tattered and blood-stained.

"Sebastian," Ciel said, touching a finger gently to his eye patch. "Look into the matter. If she is not a threat, then she is a guest and under our protection. Bring her inside."

The butler bowed at the waist, his usual smile in place. "Yes, my Lord."

He turned and glided out of the room, the other servants looking after him with distressed faces. Ciel glanced down at them, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't just stand around, you three. You have chores to complete, do you not?"

The three servants jumped to their feet, saluting and shouting in unison, "Aye-aye, sir!"

As they barreled down the hallway to resume their duties, Ciel went back to his desk to tuck the queen's letter away in one of the drawers. It appeared his trip into the city would have to wait, after all. He swept out of his study and down to the front door, arriving just as Sebastian returned with the woman in his arms. She looked frail. Her eyes were sunken in, her dark, wine-colored hair dull and dirtied, her bones sticking out in a most unnatural manner, the rips in her clothes revealing open sores and gashes. He'd seen others in her condition before. It always brought back painful memories to think of those children; chained, starved, void of hope. He pushed the images aside and looked to Sebastian.

"Well?"

"She is not in good condition, my lord. I could not determine her situation before she lost consciousness."

Ciel nodded. "In which case, bring her to one of the guest rooms and see to it her wounds get treated. Mey Rin," he turned to the maid who had just entered the room with polish for the banisters. "For the duration of her stay you are to remain at her side. You are to inform Sebastian or I as soon as she awakes."

Mey Rin stood stalk straight, almost trembling with anxiety. "Y-yes, milord!"

As she and Sebastian left to see to the woman, Ciel returned to his study, a headache ready to flare to life. Really, could he not have just one normal day anymore?

Though, he supposed he invited it, selling his soul to a demon and all. At the very least, he was sure the others would behave that day. Their mood was likely too somber after seeing the state of the woman.

As Ciel took his seat and shuffled through his pile of uncompleted paperwork, he realized that the mood had carried over to him, as well. Those children kept returning to his mind, removing all hope of productivity. He growled quietly and glared out of the window at the dark clouds hanging low around the countryside. It had yet to rain that season, and it appeared that the sky was ready to make up for it in full force. Perhaps it would be good to inform the duke that was supposed to visit that some important things came up – Ciel didn't want the man stuck in the manor if the storm turned into a dangerous one. Besides, at the very least, it would him the opportunity to catch up on the work he'd fallen behind in.

With a deep breath, he turned forward and looked down at the papers in front of him, each labeling progress in different areas of the Funtom Company as well as outlining some offers from various potential partners. He had nothing to start his investigation into the matter the queen gave him, so he would settle for his company affairs. A dreary way to pass the time, but necessary nonetheless. Perhaps the next day would look a little brighter.

xxXXxx

Sebastian dried his hands on a towel and looked down at the woman, now covered in bandages and a nightgown he had borrowed from Mey Rin. It was lucky they were similar in size. He was surprised at the number of wounds the woman had, and she should have been dead considering how malnourished she appeared, but still she held on. If the many scars that covered her arms and body said anything, then she was not a stranger to such a condition. To add to the peculiarity of her wounds was the fact that she had been wearing a button-up shirt and a pair of trousers that was held up by a tattered shoelace. The crude clothes did nothing to hide her femininity, and probably wouldn't have even if her hair hadn't been so long. He smirked at the memory of her eyes, which he'd glimpsed before she collapsed. They were a vibrant rose color. Most unusual for a human.

Behind him, Mey Rin peered down at the woman. "Poor thing," she said.

Sebastian smiled at the maid. "I am sure she'll be alright. Just remember to be slow with the water when she wakes."

Mey Rin nodded and sat down in the chair at the side of the bed. Sebastian rolled down his sleeves, pulled on his gloves, and once again donned his coat. He took the soiled bandages with him to dispose of and returned to Ciel's study. Once inside, he couldn't help but grin at the young boy's irritated glaring contest with the empty outdoors, a stack of paper left almost untouched in front of him. Ciel said nothing for a few long moments, composing his thoughts, before he turned to Sebastian.

"Did you learn anything?"

Sebastian bowed. "But of course, my lord. For if I couldn't do this, what kind of a butler would I be?"

Ciel's glare turned darker as he propped his chin up in his hand. "Well, out with it."

"She sustained many wounds," Sebastian said and straightened, his pleasant demeanor turning to business. "All of them appeared to be from the same weapon. Some sort of knife, I believe. Her condition was worse than I first thought, but she seems stable enough. She also has healing wounds on her wrists and ankles. If I could take a guess, my lord, I would say that she's been held captive and been denied basic nutrition for some time."

The young earl did not seem surprised at this news, but his foul mood sharpened nonetheless. He tapped his finger on the arm of his chair as he processed the information. Then, coming to a decision, he refocused on his butler and gave his command.

"If she was able to make it here then either her attacker became bored or she was able to fend them off. She cannot have gotten far with those wounds. Search the area for any sign of a struggle and glean as much as you can. Return here once you are finished."

Sebastian placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "Yes, my lord. May I ask what you would like me to do about the Duke of Wellington? He is supposed to visit tonight."

"Inform him that there are extenuating circumstances."

"Of course," Sebastian smiled. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, yes," Ciel waved him off. Sebastian stood straight once again and turned to complete his new task. After a quick phone call to the duke, he strolled down the lush halls of the Phantomhive manor, too close to the others to risk anything more time-efficient. This unexpected occurrence had thrown a wrench in his plans for the day but – he took out his pocket watch and gave a satisfied nod at the time – it was still possible for him to complete the chores necessary. Especially now that preparing for a guest was no longer a factor.

Outside, Sebastian scowled at the blood stain in the spot where the girl had collapsed. That was another task to add to his list, but he would bother with it later. _Then again_ , he thought, glancing at the dark clouds above. _I might be saved the trouble._

With a glance over his shoulder to be sure no one was watching him, he sprinted forward, following the trail of blood. It led him deep into the copse of trees surrounding the manor. As he leapt through the branches he couldn't help his surprise at how long the woman appeared to have walked on her own. He'd thought her fight would have taken place closer, but then he might have heard it if that were so.

It was a few more minutes before the demon came across the site of the struggle. He dropped gracefully from the trees and landed at the edge of a small clearing. The ground was covered in both leaves and blood, and it was clear that the attack was not one-sided. Mixed in with the woman's scent he could detect the blood of another human – also a woman. From the smell of it, they both sustained nearly equal injuries, but there was no sign of a body. Had they both survived?

He walked around the clearing, eyeing the upturned weeds and trodden leaves to get a sense of the fight. It was difficult to tell if either opponent was skilled, but they were at least as skilled as one another. The skirmish seemed to have ended with the purple-haired woman standing over her adversary, triumphant. Sebastian knelt next to the place of the victory and narrowed his eyes. The assailant – well, he supposed he didn't know enough to assume who it was that had been the attacker, so… The opposition had certainly laid there for a long time, though he couldn't be certain whether she survived. He could smell the mingled scent of a few more humans, but none of them had partaken in the fight. Perhaps the opponent had been found and taken away… by passersby or by allies? There was only one way to tell.

Sebastian stood to follow the scent of the other woman's blood, but a dull glint caught the corner of his eye. He focused on the flash and sifted through the leaves to find a dagger covered in blood. The hilt had a single diamond-shaped emerald embedded in the cross, and around it were floral patterns so intricate they must have taken many long days to carve. The pattern even continued onto the blade. Sebastian sniffed the blood and narrowed his eyes as he recognized the opponent's scent. This dagger belonged to the woman at the mansion. How could one so malnourished and poorly dressed come across such a fine blade? A question to be answered when she awoke, he supposed.

With a short hum, Sebastian took out his handkerchief and wiped down the blade until it gleamed like silver. He twirled it a few times, testing its quality, and braced the flat of the blade on his finger. It was perfectly balanced from one end to the next. The mystery continued to pique his interest.

He tucked both the dagger and cloth away in his coat pocket and then returned to the task at hand: to find whoever else had fought here. He leapt into the trees once more, senses focused on the trail. No doubt he would get to the bottom of this. After all, what sort of butler would he be if he failed to manage even that?

* * *

 _A/N: Okay, so... that's a thing. I sort of came up with this story a few days ago and have been writing like a monster ever since... Originally I wasn't going to post it until I was about halfway through, but once I got to chapter six I was just like... hecc. Someone tell me if I should keep going or not, because I am attached to this story and I don't want to be addicted unless I make other people addicted, too. Because I am a horrible human being. So yeah, tell me what you think. This is my first story on here and stuff, but be as mean to me as you want. Any publicity is good publicity, and whatnot. XD Don't hesitate to ask questions, but I can't guarantee an answer because I'm a secretive person and refuse to give hints outside of what I've written. Muahaha. Don't hate me._

 _On that note, thank you for giving this story a read! Means a lot! Have one **hell** of a day, my friends. *awkwardly slides out of room*_


	2. Mistress of Blood

Chapter Two - Mistress of Blood

The countryside crawled by as Ciel stared out the window of the carriage, cradling his chin in his hand. It had been two days since the woman appeared and she still hadn't come to full consciousness yet. Mey Rin reported being able to give her some water when she woke in a delirium, but it appeared she would not come to herself for quite a while. He had decided that morning that he had no choice but to trust her care to the maid, who seemed much more capable than she usually was when it came to other matters. There was still a case for him to investigate and he could postpone it no further.

He and Sebastian were taking a trip into the city to speak to the only one who could point them in the right direction, given how few clues they had. Scotland Yard had no useful information on the murders or on any assassin group, which wasn't surprising considering how incapable they'd proven themselves to be time and time again. On top of that, Sebastian hadn't been able to find the woman's attacker; the trail had washed away in the sudden downpour. That left them with very little information on both fronts. A string of murders with no connection and a dagger crafted by what could only be a master smith, somehow in the possession of a starving urchin.

Ciel glanced down at the wooden box that held the dagger and lifted the lid once more. The emerald glinted at him in the light streaming through the window. It was one of the most beautiful pieces he'd ever seen, and as per Sebastian's demonstration with a pumpkin, sharpened to an almost impossible point. There was some sort of coat of arms hidden amongst the design, or perhaps it was merely a signature, but Sebastian reported that he couldn't find anything about it in public record. That left one option: whoever made the blade was not a part of polite society.

He closed the lid of the box and again stared out at the passing trees. Hopefully, one or the other incident would turn out to be no more than a fluke. He wasn't entirely keen on conducting two separate investigations with the possibility of both turning into something more than a mild headache. Then again, he'd found his duties somewhat boring of late. This would be a chance for some interesting sport.

It didn't take long to reach the city, nor for Sebastian to pull the cart up to the familiar, coffin-decorated shop. The demon butler stepped down from the carriage and opened the door for Ciel, who sighed as his feet hit the cobblestone road.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Sebastian responded with a smile.

Inside the shop it appeared that nothing had changed, except that the Undertaker's most recent project was somewhat more extravagant than his usual pieces, the ornate engravings spiraling around the edges. Commissioned for a noble, then, Ciel decided. As he came to the middle of the room, a gleeful giggle echoed from above. Ciel looked up to see the Undertaker crouching on top of a precarious stack of coffins, his usual grin plastered across his pale skin.

"I see the earl has finally decided to visit me. It's been so long…" The Undertaker snickered and dropped to the ground with ease, sidling up beside Ciel. "Have you finally found it in your fancy to try one of me coffins?"

"Certainly not," Ciel leaned away from the man and held up the box with the dagger between them. Undertaker grinned at him before he took it with gentle fingers and a hum of anticipation.

"What might this be?"

"A dagger," Ciel said. "I need to know where it's from. Who crafted it. Whether or not something similar has been used in any cases you've come across. Anything you can give me."

Undertaker opened the lid and his grin widened as he studied the blade. "A very interesting specimen, indeed. Wherever did you find it?"

Ciel raised an eyebrow and Undertaker snickered.

"But of course, the young master has his secrets. You know the price for which I'll tell you." He closed the box and a spec of drool dripped at the corner of his mouth. "Bestow upon me the divine!"

Ciel sighed and took the box, only to hand it to Sebastian. "That isn't all," he said. "I am also seeking information on a recent string of murders that are seemingly unconnected. Perhaps you've heard of them?"

Undertaker giggled and leaned closer to Ciel, dragging a long, black fingernail across his throat. The earl tried his best to suppress a shudder.

"Why yes, of course I have. All efficient. All silent. No witnesses nor even any solid suspects, hm?"

"Assassins?" Ciel asked.

"Payment first, my dear earl," Undertaker said, flashing his perfect teeth.

Ciel sighed and looked to Sebastian, who nodded.

"I will take care of it, my lord. Please, wait outside."

The boy left the two of them. It took longer than normal – whatever joke it was that the demon told Undertaker. Ciel stood outside, his hands folded on the top of his walking stick, glaring down any who passed by and deigned to look at him too long. After too many silent minutes, laughter erupted from the building and Ciel stepped forward just as Sebastian opened the door. The butler smiled at him and followed him inside. Undertaker lay on his desk, heaving and pounding his fist on the wooden surface.

"Oh, too good, Mister Butler. Your jokes always astound me! Heehee! Hehehe!"

Ciel lifted his chin. "Are you quite finished?"

Undertaker took one last deep breath before he pushed himself to his feet. "Yes, young earl, my apologies. Now where were we… Ah, yes!" he held his finger up and pulled Ciel close. "Which would you like to hear first?"

"Tell me what you know about the murders."

"Hehe, the murders, indeed. Even I cannot say who committed them, but of the two bodies I have seen, they appeared to be done by two different people." Undertaker rounded his desk and sat down in his chair.

Ciel frowned, taking the guest chair. "How could you tell?"

"The angle of the cut," Undertaker poked his throat. "One was tall and the other was short."

"But the method of killing is the same with all of the murders," Ciel rubbed his chin. "That suggests a group of similarly-trained people, or at least a few accomplices who are trying to throw off their scent... Tell me about the assassins, then. Is it just one group?"

"Ah yes, the assassins. Mysterious bunch, indeed. There is only one prominent group in this area and I haven't had a glimpse of their work in many years, though these murders do seem to fit the bill." Undertaker hid his smile behind his sleeve.

"Years?" Ciel asked, crossing his legs. "I was under the impression they're a new organization."

"Oh no, not so, my lord. Their name has stayed the same for more than a century. They've simply… come and gone as they've seen fit."

"Who are they?"

Undertaker giggled. "Have you heard of the Theosophical Society, my lord?"

"That is… a cult, isn't it?" Ciel asked, drawing from his studies of recent history. "Founded in America."

"Yes, that's the one. I won't go into detail then, but you of course know of their ununified belief system. They hold no dogma except Universal Brotherhood of Humanity – that all should be equal regardless of race, caste, creed, or any other socially determinable feature."

Ciel nodded. It was all coming back to him. He found it to be quite a quaint belief system, but not entirely as foolish as others he'd seen.

Undertaker leaned back in his chair, nibbling on a bone-shaped biscuit he pulled out of his sleeve. "Well, as you can imagine, it is difficult for average members to agree on certain issues, as they are under no obligation to alter their own beliefs for the sake of the cause. The occasional rift or two may be formed within the ranks as a result, and there has to be someone to resolve the issues, hm?"

"So these assassins are there to enforce some sort of order," Ciel concluded, scowling. How very hypocritical. Killing those who did not agree was rather the opposite of universal equality.

"Sounds like quite the dangerous group to have escaped apprehension for so long," Sebastian said with a smile. Ciel eyed the butler, sensing that he knew more than he was letting on, but decided to save his questions for later.

"This group is obviously a part of the underworld," he said instead, returning his attention to Undertaker. "Why haven't I heard about them before?"

The robed man shrugged, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter. "The young master has not been around for very long. This order predates even your grandfather's time as earl."

"So it is possible my predecessors may have come into contact with them, then."

Undertaker chortled with glee, gave another shrug, and Ciel took that as the sign to move on. He would learn no more from him on that subject.

"Alright then, what about the dagger?"

"Oh, yes, the dagger." Undertaker slid over to Sebastian and stroked the box with his clawed fingertip. "As a matter of fact, I have seen similar weapons used before in a few interesting cases. Such beautiful craftmanship could only come from one person."

Ciel crossed his arms, waiting.

"It could only be Mister Wilkinson," Undertaker finished.

"Wilkinson?" Ciel frowned. "But he provides arms for Her Majesty's army."

"Does he?" Undertaker asked, his smile slipping for a moment before he laughed. "Oh, quite right, young earl, that one does craft swords for officers, doesn't he? Hmhm."

Ciel narrowed his eyes, unable to tell if Undertaker was acting more suspicious than usual or not. "And what were these cases exactly?"

Undertaker giggled. "None of them are all that interesting, I assure you. But if you must know, I'd recommend you look into the death of one Lord Bernard Turner – he passed away some years ago, helped along by a piece almost identical to the one you carry."

Bernard Turner… Ciel had never heard of him. A minor noble, perhaps. He nearly questioned Undertaker further, but the strange man lifted his arms into the air.

"Oooh, would you look at the time, my lord? It seems I'll fall behind for my most recent commission. I do thank you for coming in and treating me to that piece of heaven," he grinned at Sebastian, who smirked in return. It would seem that Undertaker would offer them no more information that day. Being so, Ciel nodded to him.

"Farewell, then, Undertaker. And thank you for your help."

"Anytime, dear earl. Be sure to come visit again when you feel the urge to give one of my coffins a go, eh?"

Ciel suppressed a shudder as he and Sebastian took their leave. Outside, he turned to his butler.

"Invite Mister Wilkinson over at his most convenient time; I should like to speak with him as soon as possible. In the meantime, put all of your effort into researching this Theosophical Society and their significance. If they are involved in the murders, I will know."

Sebastian bowed, hand over his heart, as he opened the door of the carriage. "Yes, my lord."

xxXXxx

The Covington Manor stood stark and imposing on the English countryside. Under the cover of clouds it loomed as but a shadow, its spires like lances thrust into the night sky. Fog creeped over the grounds, muffling the chirps and calls of the crickets and owls. Flickering candlelight glowed from a single window in the third floor; the manor's only outward sign of life. A cold breeze ruffled the leaves of the surrounding trees.

Inside, heeled footsteps echoed down one of the long halls, lit only by what moonlight slipped through the clouds. The mistress of the manor swept through her palace followed by two meek maidservants. She was dressed in her nightgown and a robe, her ebony hair flowing at her waist. Up ahead, orange light peeked through the cracks in the doorframe of the guest room where one of her most faithful children had just awoken from a long nap. The Madame stopped in front of the closed doors and knocked lightly before she entered with a smile.

"Might I come in, my dear Amélie?" she asked. Though Amélie was awake, she remained laying down, her complexion hardly recovered from her recent exertions. Next to her sat another maid, who stood and bowed at the sight of the head of the house.

"Madame Lavoie," she said. "I ask your forgiveness for sending for you at such a late hour, but Sister Amélie insisted."

The Madame held up her hand as she approached the bed. "Peace, child, you did what was best. Now please, let us speak alone."

The maid bowed her head and curtsied before she left the two of them, closing the door behind her as she went. Madame Lavoie sat down at the edge of the bed, giving her dearest Amélie a sweet, motherly smile. Amélie reached out and the Madame took her hand, holding it close to her heart. The poor girl was as pale as the moon; her bandages almost blended in with her skin.

"Madame," she whispered, tears brimming in her chocolate eyes. "I've failed you."

"Hush," the Madame soothed as she stroked her fingers through the girl's golden locks. "You are alive, and you are safe. That is all that matters."

"But I went after her on my own. I knew I should have waited for the others – I knew I wasn't strong enough but I-" she choked on a sob, then winced as she jarred one of her injuries.

"Enough, Amélie. What's done is done. I trust from your current condition that you have learned your lesson."

Amélie nodded, a tear falling down her cheek and to the pillow below. Madame Lavoie continued to hold her hand as she took a shaky breath in and composed herself.

"Forgive me, Madame. I am alright now."

The Madame smiled. "Good. You need to save your energy for recovery. There's no telling when I'll need you again."

Amélie pursed her lips, looking away from her mistress. Lavoie had seen such a look on her before, when she'd been troubled about an issue within their sisterhood that was not as innocent as it had seemed. The day she solved that mystery was the day she earned her place amongst the most faithful of their household. Now, though her chance in battle had passed, perhaps that same sharp mind of hers would bring their lost sister to light once again.

"You didn't find her, did you?" Amélie whispered. The Madame squeezed her hand.

"We have not seen her, no. But we know where she is hiding."

Amélie looked up, surprised. "Then why haven't you given the order?"

"She has, unfortunately, found herself in the company of a rather troublesome earl," Madame Lavoie said, the warmth in her velvet eyes descending to the harshest winter storm. "If it were any other manor, I'd have that traitor's head sitting on a silver platter by now, but under the circumstances I am forced to wait until she dares set foot outside of her hole."

Amélie flinched, removing her hand from the Madame's. She played with the tips of her golden hair to feign nonchalance, but Madame Lavoie had seen that flash of fear.

"Forgive me," she said, once again smiling with the light of the sun. "I let my passion overtake me. Do not fret for the future, my dear, for it is a fate that Sister Sinclair chose for herself. For now, all we can do is wait."

"It will take a long time for her to recover," Amélie said. "She was in a frightful state."

Madame Lavoie nodded, tapping a finger to her chin. "Yes. And to think you were in peak condition."

Amélie clutched at the sheets, glaring at something the Madame couldn't see. Her limbs shook with the effort; her breath came quick and sharp.

"That will be the last time she bests me, Madame. I swear it."

Madame Lavoie looked down on her child with pride. That determination. That righteous anger. That loyalty. Amélie truly was one of the most faithful sisters she'd ever had the pleasure of serving with.

"Hold on to that promise, my dear," she said with a smile that drew out the shadows in the corners of the room. "I expect you to deliver."

* * *

 _A/N: And finally! Chapter two! I apologize for posting this so late - it turns out that bussing across New Zealand means no WiFi for poor college students. But never fear! Next week's chapter shall be on time!_

 _Right, now for the disclaimers in case somebody wants to complain. Does the Theosophical Society actually exist? Heck yeah, it does. Have I given an accurate representation of their beliefs? Not even a little bit. I mooched off their name and took the most basic of their beliefs and twisted it for my own bidding, because that is what lazy authors like me do when writing in fictional worlds. I don't claim to have an understanding of their beliefs outside of what I found on Wikipedia. Also, technically the Society wasn't created until the same year Ciel was born - 1875. But the timeline in the manga is crap anyway, so screw that! Consider this representation of the Society as like, a splinter group of extreme radicals or something. That is to say, the accurate objectives of the real world's Society are, in fact, believed by some people in this world, but I'm not focusing on them._

 _And disclaimer number two - Mr. Wilkinson the blacksmith existed and really did create arms for Her Majesty's army. But again, I'm an evil author and am using the name for my own benefit. Muahahaha. So evil. I bet you're quivering in your seat. I hope you sense my sarcasm._

 _Anywho, that's all of my nefarious plans for the day. Drop a review and I'll consider giving you a free safety shield from my malicious intent._

 _Stay lovely, fellow fictioners!_


	3. Semblance of Calamity

Chapter Three - Semblance of Calamity

Pain. Everywhere was pain. Faye felt like she'd been trampled underneath a heard of stallions, or thrown off a bridge, or – ripped open. Right, she remembered. A fight. An expected one, but inconvenient all the same. Where had she ended up? Somewhere in the forest? Closer to the city, perhaps? She couldn't hear birds or voices or the rumble of busy London society. Moreover, she couldn't smell the decaying leaves or the dusty roads. She could smell… something sweet. And the smoke from a fire.

Faye struggled to open her eyes as the pain sharpened, stabbing every inch of her body. Her throat was sore, her mouth dry. When was the last time she'd had water? She coughed, and it felt like swallowing sandpaper.

Finally, with a shuttering breath, she squinted into the soft light that surrounded her. A glowing, dancing light. It came from the fireplace across the room… a very fancy fireplace.

She drew in a sharp breath, fully awake. Had they found her? When she lost consciousness had she still been out in the open? Were they keeping her alive only to – no, wait. She'd recognize the Madame's manor if that was where she was. This place was strange. She'd never seen this fireplace or the set of ornate pokers beside it. Unfamiliar red curtains draped over what must have been a window to an unknown landscape, and the few plush chairs positioned about the room fit well with their surroundings but didn't have a place in her mind. Where was she?

Beside her, someone gasped. "Oh, you're awake, you are!"

She winced at the harsh voice and turned her head as best she could. A bespectacled woman leaned over her as she lay on a bed that seemed to be made of a few wisps of cloud. The woman wore a maid's outfit and her smile seemed genuine enough.

"You must be dreadfully thirsty," the maid said as she poured a glass of water from a pitcher. "Here, have a drink."

The maid held the glass of water out to her, but she didn't take it. She grimaced and brought a hand to her head as a wave of pain pierced her skull. As she breathed deeply, hoping it would pass, she felt something nearby – something she couldn't place. It felt like a storm blowing at her back, threatening her with unseen strength.

When the wave of pain passed she looked back at the maid, who still had the glass in her hands.

"Are you alright, miss? The water will help. Mister Sebastian will be mad at me if you don't drink this, he will."

Faye narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, whatever she sensed wasn't coming from the maid, but that didn't mean Faye wanted to stick around and find out the true culprit. There had to be something she could use to defend herself with. The walls were absent of ceremonial swords, there were no chests laying around, but – oh, the fire pokers. Perfect.

The maid pleaded with her again, holding out the glass. She eyed the water once more, then the woman, then with a deep breath to steel herself for the pain, she launched out of bed and landed on the posh, carpeted floor. Something tore – her clothes, the sheets, one of her wounds – she didn't know. She ran to the fireplace and grabbed one of the pokers, then whipped around to face the maid who stood dumbstruck, the glass now turned over on the carpet.

 _Hell_ , _that hurt_ , Faye thought. She clutched at her side as she struggled to breathe.

"Oh my, miss! Please calm down! You'll hurt yourself, you will, and that wouldn't do at all!"

The maid panicked, looking around for something to do. As she fluttered about, bemoaning the amount of trouble she would be in, the doors to the room swung open. In strode a dignified man dressed in an impeccable black suit. He stopped in the middle of the room and took in the scene before him with a stoicism that would have made any mountain face proud. Faye's heart seemed to stop as she realized that it was him. The power she sensed was coming from him.

"Sebastian!" the maid cried, pulling at her hair. "I'm so sorry, I must have startled her!"

"Worry not," he replied with a voice like velvet. He turned to Faye and gave her a smile that sent chills up her spine – or was that the cold that had seeped into her fingers? She tightened her grip on the iron weapon to keep her hands from trembling. Her breath came out short as the butler, or at least he looked like a butler, took a few steps closer to her.

"Really now, my lady," he said, stopping a few feet away. "That will do you little good in the state you're in."

Faye bared her teeth – half for the effect and half because it felt like she had a knife lodged in her gut. Unfazed, Sebastian returned his smile to the maid.

"Mey Rin, would you be so kind as to fetch some towels and clean bandages for our guest? And a bowl of warm water, if you could."

"Oh, y-y-yes Sebastian! I'll go get them, I will!"

The maid dashed out of the room, leaving Faye and Sebastian alone. A cold sweat broke out on her skin as she faced him. He took another step forward and she stumbled backward into the wall. Somehow, she kept the fire poker pointed at him, to his apparent amusement.

"If my master had planned on me harming you, my lady, he wouldn't have had me go through the trouble of saving you."

Faye gritted her teeth. He had a master? Was there another more powerful being nearby?

Regardless, if they didn't want her dead, then they wanted information. She would give them neither. Pain stabbed through her gut again, causing her breath to hitch and the room around her to wobble. Sebastian's smile melted into a frown.

"If you continue on as you are then you'll end up losing whatever little blood you have left in you. Considering how you so obviously don't wish to die, it might be best for you to put that down and let me patch up whichever wound of yours you've reopened."

Get rid of her only means of protection? Not likely. Her arm shook visibly now, the iron weighing down on her still-exhausted muscles. Even if she could have defended herself against this man, was it worth it? The one thing that was certain was that the Madame would never leave her in the hands of a stranger, no matter how competent they seemed. For the time being she was safe from those who hunted her (assuming that the Madame wouldn't involve innocents in their conflict). Still, she couldn't let her guard down. Her head was wanted by more than just the Madame.

The air pressed in around her, suffocating, and she had to wonder if it was her own weakness or the butler's presence that intensified the gravity. Her legs trembled even as she slid down to the floor, only just managing to keep the poker aloft. She couldn't quite be sure which Sebastian she was pointing it at, seeing as how there were five of him floating around… shit. Faye finally dropped the poker, unable to hold it up any longer.

"There now, was that so difficult?" Sebastian purred as he closed the distance between them and took the poker away before she could think to use it again.

The room around her bobbed back and forth and Sebastian gained a few more copies of himself. All she could focus on was his glowing, magenta eyes. She pressed herself closer to the wall as he leaned over her, grinning like a cat about to pounce on its prey.

"My, the earl will certainly have his hands full with you, won't he?"

Faye flinched away from him, positive that he could break her neck as easily as she could snap a toothpick, but the blow she expected never came. Instead, he reached down and lifted her into his arms like a father would his child.

She took a shaky breath in. That was it? She chanced looking up at him as he carried her over to the bed. His features were aristocratic; almost inhumanly handsome. The deep red of his eyes was bewitching. He looked as though he needed only to flash a smile and the whole world would fall at his feet. If the earl was half as bad as him, she would leave, consequences be damned. Men like him were beyond dangerous.

He was still smiling as he placed her back in the bed. The maid sprinted through the doors then, wobbling about as much as Faye's vision. She made it halfway to the bed before she tripped over air. Faye cringed, the sudden movement giving her brain a whirl, and when she looked back up it appeared that Sebastian had caught the bowl, the cloth, _and_ Mey Rin. He sighed rather dejectedly.

"Please, Mey Rin, how many times must I tell you? Don't run in the manor – especially when you're carrying things."

Mey Rin's face turned cherry red as she recovered and backed away from Sebastian.

"Oh yes, Mister Sebastian, I'm so sorry!"

"Never mind that now," Sebastian said. "I will take over from here; why don't you go get some rest?"

Mey Rin nodded and gave him a quick bow. "Yessir, right away sir."

With that, she scuffled out of the room, closing the door behind her and trapping Faye alone with that man once again. She clutched at the sheets, her chill from earlier now striking her heart. Sebastian set the bowl and cloth on the end table, then took off his tail coat to drape it around the chair the maid had been using.

"Now then, let's have a look at you before you ruin the upholstery, hm?"

Faye stared up at the ornate, floral pattern in the ceiling. It wasn't like she had much choice in the matter.

After rolling up his sleeves and depositing his gloves on the table, Sebastian pulled the sheet over Faye's legs and helped her into a sitting position. He pulled up her nightgown to see which gash of hers she had reopened. Despite the medical conditions of it all, Faye wasn't far from mortification. She bit her lip and turned her head to stare at a painting on the far wall – an autumn landscape.

"You're lucky," he said as he removed her soiled bandages. "This cut was one of the smaller ones, and it looks like the bleeding's already stopped."

The cloth snagged on the edges of the wound and Faye bit down harder on her lip, stopping just short of drawing blood. As Sebastian cleaned and dressed the injury, she watched him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if she could determine why his presence was so overbearing. He couldn't have been human.

When she saw his hands, no longer covered by his gloves, she clutched the sheets tighter and held back a gasp. He had two black pentagram tattoos, one on each hand, and his nails were painted black. She looked up at him and he grinned down at her with a knowing smile, his amber eyes flashing magenta. If she wasn't sure she'd have dropped dead before she reached the door, she would have run. Far.

Sebastian stood and poured a glass of water from the clean pitcher. "Since you've settled down now, would you care for a drink?"

He held the glass up to her. She pressed her mouth into a thin line and refused to make eye contact. Fuck. _Fuck._ As if being on the Madame's "Most Wanted" list wasn't bad enough! She had no idea who this man was but – no, he wasn't a man. What was he?

"Oh dear," Sebastian said, taking the glass away. "Still don't trust me, I see. How about this?"

He took a sip from the glass and smiled at her as he swallowed.

"Perfectly safe, I assure you."

She eyed him, unimpressed, and laid back down to stare at the ceiling. Her hair stood on end just being near him – she couldn't imagine accepting any food or drink from him. Allowing him to patch up her wounds was quite enough.

Sebastian sighed. "For someone with such a strong will to live, you seem rather content on sabotaging your own chances, my lady."

She didn't react. After a long moment, Sebastian returned the glass to the side table.

"My master will be wanting to speak with you and he can't do that if you're fighting hunger and thirst. I would suggest that you reconsider your aversion to his hospitality and accept the meal he has ordered me to prepare for you."

He stood and donned his discarded coat and gloves, once again transforming into a perfect butler, but now that Faye had seen those tattoos she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that pooled in her stomach.

"Oh, and one more thing," Sebastian said, leaning closer with a feral grin. "One of your friends has been lurking just outside of the manor's grounds. Should you think of leaving, I must warn you that you will no longer be under my lord Phantomhive's protection."

The butler's eyes seemed to flash once more as his smile widened and Faye felt the color drain from her face. Without another word, he left, closing the door softly behind him.

"Lucifer's spawn," she whispered, the words little more than a breath. What a wonderful situation she had landed herself into. She could brave the outdoors and be set upon by a pack of raving wolves sent to carry out the desires of their mistress, or she could remain in the Phantomhive manor and pray that she wasn't subjected to untold horrors at the hands of that butler. A shudder passed through her and she reached down to pull the blanket over her. No matter what she did, she was not looking forward to the coming days. Why, oh why did she even bother surviving that blasted skirmish with Amélie? Might have been better to just let it happen; Lord knew there wasn't much point to her living anyway.

Faye heaved a sigh. Even so, she carried on. The notion of death had never scared her – she'd been conditioned that way – but if it came to it and she had to choose between life and meaningless death…

There wasn't much for it. She picked up the glass and drank, letting the cool liquid slide down her inflamed throat and ease the pain into a dull ache. When she finished she set down the empty cup and burrowed further under the covers. If she was going to die, then at the very least she could enjoy what comforts this Earl Phantomhive had to offer. It wouldn't be long before the Madame made her move.

* * *

 _A/N: Well, will you look at that. Another late-ish chapter. I think I'm going to make Saturday my official "post the chapter day" because that's where the trend seems to be going. Of course, that's going to be awkward when I fly back home to the US in two weeks, but we'll tackle that problem when it gets here._

 _In other news... FINALLY a chapter in Faye's POV. If you hadn't noticed I rather enjoy jumping around in different perspectives, but Faye's my main girl and she is gonna be my main perspective as the story continues. And speaking of the story continuing... you guys are killing me. No reviews last chapter? Sad author is sad. Please love me! (But don't worry, I see you invisible readers and followers! You guys are my life. Thank you for doing your thing and reading all the things.)_

 _Now, without further ado, I shall return back to my weeaboo cave and drown myself in anime. Ta-ta!_


	4. Stench of Abaddon

Chapter Four - Stench of Abaddon

Another day, another murder. This one was across the country and too far away for Ciel to bother examining himself, especially when there was so much going on nearby and in such a short time. The notice had come too late for him to send Sebastian, too. The information ended up being the same, anyway. Cut to the throat, no evidence left behind, too many possible suspects who might have hired the help or who may have had nothing to do with it. Ciel had yet to finish compiling a list of the murders in a way that might give some insight into the assassinations, but he had a gut feeling that this organization wasn't picky about their targets. That made tracking them all the harder. He needed to figure out a way to get in contact directly with the assassins or whatever member of the Society they answered to, maybe set up a trap…

Sebastian tapped on the door. Ciel sighed, concentration broken, and allowed the butler entrance to his study.

"Pardon me, my Lord, I have your afternoon tea," Sebastian said, tea cart in tow. Ciel didn't look up as he turned the page in the notes he was looking at.

"Is that oolong?"

"Yes, it is a special blend of Shui Xian and Rou Gui from the Wuyi Mountains." Sebastian poured the tea and handed it to him. Ciel took a lazy sip and narrowed his eyes at the papers in front of him; they were the notes Sebastian had compiled of the Theosophical Society's prominent members in the London area. Some of them Ciel knew and was surprised in their involvement considering how good-natured they tended to be. Not the type of people he thought would become involved in a cult, even considering his cynicism. Ciel tapped his finger on the table, trying to decide which of them he would approach and if he would do so directly.

"Sebastian are there any events coming up that some of these people might attend?"

"Indeed there are, my lord. Lady Eleanor Covington is hosting a ball in her manor, though it is an invite-only attendance. I believe there is also a public festival coming up, of which many of the members are patrons. They fortunately do not take place on the same day, so it would be possible to attend both."

Ciel hummed. "The ball may be our best bet. It would be easier to explore and see if they're hiding anything. When is it to take place?"

"It is in one week's time, my Lord."

"Good. It won't interfere with Wilkinson's visit. He has accepted the invitation, hasn't he?"

"Yes, my lord; he will be here tomorrow for dinner. I have already begun preparations for his arrival."

"Hm…" Ciel took another sip of his tea as he stared down the list before him. The Society was quite large and again he found himself wondering why he hadn't heard of them in the underworld before. Perhaps they had merely hidden the assassins within their ranks so well that no one discovered the origin of the assassins, barring Undertaker, of course. Ciel had certainly never heard rumor of any shady proceedings in their gatherings. It was a rather tame community as far as most cults were considered, and certainly no wars had been started over their ideals… at least none that were recorded.

As he reached the bottom of the list, he sat up and put down his cup. He looked closer at the name that caught his eye.

"The Baron Morris is on here," he said.

"Yes, though I was hesitant to include him. He's not recently had much contact with the Society. Do you know him?"

Ciel leaned back in his chair and rested his head in his hand. "Not personally, no, but I remember my predecessors had dealings with him in the past. They were on fairly good terms, if I recall."

"Yet you have received no correspondence from him yourself," Sebastian put a finger to his chin in thought.

"No, he would not have sent anything," Ciel grinned. "He is quite eccentric – that is why I can remember him so well despite our minimal contact. I doubt he even sends letters to his own kin without first being prompted. He might be our way into that party."

"Shall I write to him requesting a visit, my lord?"

"Yes, see that you do." Ciel put down the stack of papers and finished off his tea. "As for more immediate matters… has our guest awakened yet?"

Sebastian picked up the tea pot and poured him another cup. "She did a few hours ago, my lord."

"Oh?" Ciel glanced at him at of the corner of his eye. "Why did you not inform me sooner?"

Sebastian gave him that mischievous smirk of his – the one that inevitably spelled out trouble. "She was in a most disagreeable mood," he said.

"What do you mean by that?" Ciel picked up the tea and took a long drink.

"She seemed to think we meant her harm. When she awoke, she took one of the fire pokers to keep Mey Rin and I at bay, and in the process reopened one of her wounds. It took some coaxing to calm her down."

"A rather drastic reaction. Was she frightened, then? Or merely reacting out of suspicion?"

"Quite frightened," his smirk turned into a grin. "Especially when she saw the marks of our contract."

Ciel slapped the cup down on his desk and gave his butler a harsh glare. "You let her see your hands?"

"I had to redress her wounds, my lord. I didn't want my gloves to become soiled."

"That's not why you did it," Ciel narrowed his eyes. "Why did you let her see the marks?"

Sebastian gave a small chuckle. "To tell you the truth, young master, I have been suspicious of her from the beginning. Her scent is quite… intriguing. I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely certain."

Ciel crossed his arms. "Intriguing how?"

"Well, I do not think she's human, my lord."

"Not human? Then what is she?" He had enough things to deal with – reapers and demons and only God knew what else, he didn't need another thing within his walls that might give away his battles with otherworldly creatures.

"I am uncertain," Sebastian said, truly pensive, which was rare from him. "Her scent is muddled, I suppose you might say. I can tell she has human blood in her, but there is something else I can't place."

"So she is part human and part something else?" Ciel picked up his tea again. "A hybrid, of sorts?"

"Perhaps. It's not something I've come across before, to be honest. They are quite rare and I know only what I've heard."

"Interesting… you said you weren't certain before. How did you confirm your suspicions?"

"Her wounds. Though she is not healing fast enough to seem outrageous by mortal standards, the rate is enough to suggest something supernatural helping the process along."

Ciel grunted, accepting the answer but suspecting that there was more to the situation than his butler let on. At the moment he had nothing else to aid his line of questioning, so he decided to drop the matter, to be taken up at a later date. He drank the last of his tea. "Very well then, I shall go see her now. I could use a break from paperwork."

"Of course," Sebastian smiled as he picked up the teacup and put it on the cart. "If you'll allow me to return these to the kitchen, I shall accompany you."

When the young lord nodded, Sebastian left the room. In the silence that followed, Ciel tapped his chin and hummed in thought. Both the murder cases and the woman were turning out to be more of a hassle than he'd bargained for. He was going to have a hell of a time dealing with them at once.

Yet despite the appalling workload he had before him, he grinned in anticipation. It seemed he had the fortune of playing two separate games, each promising their own amusement. If nothing else, the next few weeks were going to be rather entertaining. He couldn't wait to begin.

xxXXxx

Faye had to admit: having a full stomach sure felt good. It had been a long time since she'd had a proper meal, and there was something divine about that soup. Too bad that damn butler had to ruin it by grinning at her as he came to take the dishes.

 _"Changed your mind, I see. I'm honored such a lovely lady appreciates my hard work."_

The maid was the one who had brought the meal to her in the first place. Faye had thought that it must have been made by the cook, because there was no way this earl didn't have his own cook, but to have eaten a meal made by the devil himself… She scowled at the thought. It would have been too much trouble to throw it up in his face, though she'd been tempted. At least she was certain that no harm would come to her through food or drink – not unless the Madame sent one of her sisters to tamper with it. Somehow, she highly doubted that would happen.

As Faye situated herself to a more comfortable position so she might take a much-needed nap, someone knocked at the door. She looked up, startled at first, and then annoyed. The door opened, and she pushed herself back into a sitting position.

"Sorry to disturb you, my lady," Sebastian said as he came through.

Behind him, a young boy dressed in a gray suit appeared, head held more regally than many princesses she'd seen. He had an eyepatch over his right eye and sported a beautiful shade of blue, almost black hair. Faye's irritation morphed into confusion. Surely this couldn't have been…?

The boy walked forward, a walking stick in hand with a gold-inlaid handle. There was no way.

"Good afternoon, my lady," the boy said with a small bow. "My name is Earl Ciel Phantomhive. I welcome you to my manor."

Faye's jaw dropped. It _was._ This small child was an earl? How on earth did he manage?

Behind him, the butler gave her a grin that made it seem as if he could look into her mind. She shut her mouth and turned away, that cold pit back in her stomach. How the child could stand his own butler, she didn't know. She looked back at the earl and bowed her head. It wouldn't do to be rude… though she dreaded trying to hold a conversation with anyone, especially with that butler hovering about.

Ciel paused for a moment, studying her with his one good eye, before he came forward and sat in the chair next to the bed. Sebastian stood just behind him – a little too close to Faye's vicinity for her liking, but she tried to ignore him.

"Might I have your name, my lady?" Ciel asked.

Faye pursed her lips. Despite his cold demeanor, he seemed trustworthy. Innocent, even. Then again, that was probably the point. She would be surprised if he didn't take advantage of his being a child. All the same, she wanted to tell him… but that damn butler. He was going to make it impossible. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. Her voice caught in her throat. A wicked smile flashed through her mind's eye, a pair of wild, lascivious eyes, and she clutched the sheets until her knuckles turned white. She couldn't. With a grimace, she cast her eyes downward and let her hair fall around her face so she could hide the fear she fought away.

"You… cannot speak?" Earl Ciel asked.

She could, dammit, she could! Nevertheless, her voice wouldn't work no matter how hard she tried. It would be easier to let him believe what he would. So, she shook her head.

"Do you know how to write?"

Wonderful, a loophole. She looked up at the earl, emotions hidden away, and nodded.

"Sebastian," Ciel said, looking up at his butler. "Find her a quill and paper."

The butler bowed with his hand over his heart. "Yes, my lord."

As he left, Ciel turned back to her and gave her a nearly invisible smile, though his countenance remained somewhat frosty. "It is fortunate that you are awake, my lady. You gave my servants quite the scare showing up like you did. Are you comfortable?"

Faye nodded. As comfortable as she could have been in a strange place with one aching wound or another stabbing at her every time she moved. It wasn't the worst pain she'd dealt with, but she could do without it.

"I should hope that you'll alert one of my staff if you need something. I offer you every courtesy as an honored guest, so don't be shy."

Another nod. But Faye was perplexed. How on earth could such a sweet child employ a lecherous-looking devil-worshipper like that damn –

Sebastian took that moment to return with a metal tray holding a few sheets of paper, an ink well, and a quill. He set it on her lap with a grin. Faye sent him a glare that only seemed to heighten his delight.

"Now then," Ciel said as Sebastian returned to his side. "Your name?"

She picked up the quill, staring down at the page for a moment before she dipped the tip in ink. She decided on telling him a half-truth and wrote down in sweeping cursive: _Faye de Sain-Clair._

"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Sain-Clair," Ciel said after reading what she wrote. "It is unfortunate our meeting came after such a dreadful display of violence. I don't mean to pry, but might I ask how you sustained such injuries?"

Faye bit her lip, hesitating over the page before her. She couldn't very well have written, _"Oh, don't trouble yourself, my lord. I was merely escaping a group of trained murderers who were sent to kill me because I betrayed them after spending years of my life murdering people alongside them. Nothing to worry about!"_

Yet how else could she have explained her state? She doubted the earl would believe it was a simple mugging and there was no way she could say that she fought off a male attacker. Women didn't do stuff like that unless they were, well, born on the streets, she supposed… but street urchins did not know how to write unless they were damn lucky. Okay, so perhaps her father was wealthy and… she glanced up at the boy who was waiting expectantly, legs crossed and looking every bit the nobleman he was. He already knew that there were people after her even now as she rested in safe haven, if Sebastian had told him as much. Straight lies weren't going to cut it. She turned back to the page and wrote yet another half-truth.

 _I was held captive in the basement of a building in the middle of the city_. _My stay was a sight unpleasant, and where most of my injuries came from. The rest came from my struggle when I fled. I've been on the run for many days. Before I came here, one of my captor's employs had found me. He attacked me and left me for dead. I woke up and somehow stumbled onto your property._

She worried her lip, sure that it wasn't a good enough explanation, but handed the paper to Ciel anyway. Perhaps he would assume that a full commentary would try on her poor, frail state of mind. Or something. Ciel handed the paper back.

"I am sorry you have had to suffer such a fate," he said, sympathy clear in his eyes, but only for a moment before his cold exterior returned. "But you were in the middle of London. Why not go to the police?"

Ah, now she didn't even have to lie. She wrote simply: _There are some people the police have no power over._

Ciel raised his eyebrow inquisitively. "And how might a lady such as yourself have come to such a conclusion?"

 _I am no lady, my lord._

"Then what are you?"

Faye paused, frowning. She scrutinized him, sensing a deeper meaning behind the question, though she couldn't be sure what. Ciel made no indication of explaining, so she dipped the quill in the inkwell and answered.

 _I was tutor for the children of a few minor nobles before I was taken._

Ciel frowned as he read this. "I've heard no reports or rumors amongst the nobility of any tutors going missing."

 _You wouldn't have, my lord; I am not from around here. My home was in Russia._

"Russia?" Ciel leaned back in his chair. "You were brought here all the way from such a place?"

Faye nodded.

"And I suppose once you recover, you'll be wanting to return."

She looked away from the earl and bit her lip in a fantastic display of bashfulness, if she did say so herself. With an unsure hand, she took her time writing her response.

 _I have no reason to return. No one will be waiting for me._

Of course, the truth was the opposite. Plenty of people would have been waiting to give her a hearty, Russian welcome with their daggers and pistols in hand.

Ciel remained silent for a long moment as he contemplated her answer. She took a chance and glanced up at him as he scrutinized her. Whatever was going on behind that blue eye of his, she couldn't read it. Finally, with a small nod, he spoke.

"Very well then, Miss Sain-Clair. I realize this may seem sudden, given how this is the first time we've met, but I wouldn't feel right letting you leave without first offering this. Should you so choose, I would be glad to welcome you among the members of my staff. You can work here in exchange for food, a place to stay, and of course a decent wage."

Faye looked up at him, her jaw once again hanging slack. Just like that? She could have been anyone – a thief, a murderer, a lunatic – and yet he would offer her a job so soon? Well. It was no wonder that the boy had such a disturbing butler in his employ. He probably went around and picked up strangers off the streets, that sweet, summer child.

Ciel shot an almost sinister grin at her, the act causing her to rethink her assessment of him. "You don't have to make a decision now. Rest and recover. When you are able, I will have Sebastian show you around."

Faye nodded, still dumbstruck, as Ciel stood and bowed to her.

"I hope to speak with you again soon, but for now I must return to my duties."

With that, he and his butler left. Faye stared down at the pages before her, unable to see the words she had just written. Could she do it? Once she was healed and he asked her again, could she really take advantage of this child's hospitality and put his life on the line just so she didn't have to leave and deal with those who hunted her?

The answer came like a splash of cold water on a winter's night.

Yes.

xxXXxx

Sebastian glared down at his master as they walked down the halls to return to his study. The boy would often surprise him in moments both quiet and eventful, but this was not a surprise the demon enjoyed. This woman was a complete stranger and, while Sebastian had no doubt that he would be able to protect his master no matter what happened, she was unpredictable. Not to mention a gross concoction of nature. Being near to her again, taking the time to truly focus on her scent, he decided that she was indeed a hybrid. More specifically, a hybrid from hell. He couldn't be sure the type of hellion she was, for her scent was still hidden to him, but all the same the fact that she existed was an affront to him and every other creature from the depths. To think that she could be so uncertain in her own identity that she reached such an age without having chosen the path she wanted to take – it was disgraceful. He would rather finish the job her attacker had been doing than allow her in his territory for a moment longer. Her ilk had no right to stand in his presence.

Before Ciel reached the door, Sebastian opened it to allow him inside. Once the boy was situated at his desk, he pinned the butler with an intense gaze.

"She was lying, I assume," he said.

"At first, yes," Sebastian nodded, his smile easily fitting into place. "But as she kept writing she came closer to the truth."

"Only closer to the truth. As expected." Ciel crossed his legs and pulled out the company paperwork he still needed to catch up on. "In which case I order you to find out the truth from her by any means you deem fit, but she is not to come to harm. She is still to be treated as a guest for now."

Sebastian fought back a sneer; she should be a slave, not a guest. "And what do you want me to do about the vermin outside?"

Ciel huffed. "Do with them what you will. As I said, Faye is under my protection. Under no circumstances are you to allow her pursuers to finish what they started."

With a bow, Sebastian answered, "Yes, my lord."

He debated for a moment whether he should question Ciel on his judgement but decided against it. It wouldn't be beyond Ciel to keep the woman around just to spite him if he showed any disdain at her presence. And besides that, the boy must have had his reasons. The answer would be clear soon enough. For the time being he would see the boy's orders through without complaint, and he would do so as quickly as possible to get rid of the woman as quickly as possible. The only good thing about her appearance was the opportunity now before him for amusement. She was scared of him, that much he knew.

He growled under his breath as he left the room, focusing on the presence he had sensed hours before. It had not moved. With a quick glance around him to be sure no one was nearby, he went to the window and stepped outside, closing the glass as he went. He spotted Finny across the garden, facing the other direction. In a flash, Sebastian sprinted across the open ground and came to a stop in the branches of the trees surrounding the manor.

The stranger was deeper in the forest and hadn't appeared to sense him. He chuckled to himself and snaked his way around the intruder. Now that he was close enough he could tell it was a woman, but a human woman at that. It was fortunate for him that Faye didn't have other supernatural creatures after her or his job would become even more of a nuisance – nothing a Phantomhive butler couldn't handle, to be sure, but bothersome nonetheless.

Sebastian snuck up behind the woman, sizing her up through narrowed eyes. She wore a short skirt with black tights underneath, and her shirt was skintight. Her brunette hair was cropped short as well, and she had a pair of pistols strapped to her thighs. He stopped on a branch just behind her and gave a wicked grin.

"Why hello there," he said.

The woman gasped and turned around, drawing one of her pistols in the same instant. She eyed him as she pointed the pitiful weapon at him, confusion written on her face plain as day.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked.

He bowed low with a smile. "My name is Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phantomhive estate. It is a pleasure to meet you."

She gaped at him, confliction flashing in her dark eyes. When she didn't respond, he stood straight.

"I am afraid that I will have to ask you to leave, my lady, as my master is not in the mood to entertain guests and I can't very well allow you to hide yourself away in the treetops."

The woman hesitated, then a slow smile spread on her face. She chuckled, quietly, and then it developed into a full-bodied laugh. The sound cut off abruptly.

"Do you not see this gun?" she asked, then pulled out the other one. "Is the message a little more clear now?"

"Regardless of the number of toys you are carrying around in that outfit of yours," he dragged his eyes down her figure with a wicked grin, "my request remains the same."

The woman made a disgusted noise, her face twisting into an unattractive scowl. "I wasn't supposed to make any moves yet, but I doubt the Madame will care about a fly like you."

She pulled each trigger three times, the six shots exploding throughout the forest. A flock of crows cawed their surprise and took flight, feathers raining down behind them.

"A bit of overkill, wasn't that?" Sebastian asked. He held up his hands, the bullets tucked safe between his fingers. The woman stared at him, wide-eyed, as he dropped the bullets to the ground below.

"What the hell?"

Sebastian took a step forward. The woman leapt backwards, flipped in a graceful arc, and fired more bullets at him as she went. He dodged the shots and appeared before her when she landed. She gasped, but reacted quickly, about to pull the trigger again. He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back to trap her against his body. She yelped, struggling against him. He pressed a knife into her neck and pressed his lips to her ear.

"Now, now," he breathed. "After I asked so politely, too."

The woman hissed and tried to twist out of his grasp. He dug the knife in harder and she stopped.

"Who – the hell – are you?" she asked between breaths.

Sebastian smiled and inhaled her scent loud enough that she could hear it. "Well, my dear, I'm simply one _hell_ of a butler."

The answer didn't appear to amuse her as much as it did him. She drove her free elbow hard into his gut, pointing the gun behind her and firing. If Sebastian hadn't let go to jump out of the way, the bullet would have gone straight through his head. He narrowed his eyes in irritation as the woman fired off two more shots and then took off toward the city. So, very bothersome.

Sebastian leapt after her, the leaves passing him by in a blur. He caught up in a few short seconds, and as he neared to strike her to the ground, she dove to the side. Sebastian used a tree to change his trajectory. The woman came up to her feet and fired where Sebastian had just been, the bullet fracturing the tree and dislodging its bark. She gritted her teeth, turning in a slow circle, looking for him in the shadows.

Sebastian smirked from where he stood above her. "You're a talented woman, I'll give you that. But alas, you're no match for the butler of the Phantomhive estate."

"Enough of your damn butler talk!"

The woman turned and fired toward where she heard his voice. It wasn't far off – she might have hit him with the next shot if he hadn't flashed forward and kicked her. Though he held his strength in check, she flew across the ground, tumbling and dropping her guns in the process. She skidded to a painful stop. He took his sweet time sauntering to where she lay, clawing at the ground as she fought off the pain of her broken ribs.

"It doesn't have to be this way, dear," he said as he stopped next to her. "The request was simple. Leave now, or else I'll have to escort you myself. I don't think you'll like that very much."

The woman glared up at him. "Go to hell."

"Oh, it's far too late for you to tell me to do that, dear," Sebastian chuckled. "Hell's already spit me back out." He reached down and ran a finger along her jawline, delighted at the way she trembled in anger and loathing. When he came to her neck he opened his hand to enclose her throat, but he hadn't noticed her reach down for something in her boot. She slashed at him and he stepped out of the way before the blade could ruin his suit.

Despite the pain of her injuries, the woman jumped to her feet, clutching her side, and held up the dagger in a defensive position. Sebastian narrowed his eyes as he studied her stance. She looked awfully similar to that half-breed in the manor when she'd pointed that poker at him… He raised his eyebrows as he caught sight of the dagger in her hand. It wasn't the same as the one Faye had carried – the blade was curved and had only a single edge – but the craftmanship was identical. Down to the nearly invisible signet embedded within the floral design.

"Interesting," Sebastian grinned. "Unfortunately, playtime is over."

He disappeared before the woman's eyes and she cursed, looking all around her. When he reappeared, he was behind her. He grabbed her neck and slammed her against the nearest tree. She plunged the dagger toward him even as she choked, and he caught her wrist, then leaned in close so their faces were inches apart. His eyes glowed the color of blood.

"Who do you work for?"

The woman struggled to get her words out. "I'd – d-die before I – told you."

Sebastian tightened his grip and the woman convulsed as her lungs tried and failed to draw in air. Her face twisted in pain and the demon nearly ended it right then, but that wouldn't do. Whoever this Madame was would only send another spy in this one's stead. No, he couldn't kill her. He needed to get the point across, and he didn't have the time to deal with the vermin directly. The woman struggled beneath him, feebly kicking out and trying to pry his hand from her throat. He loosened enough for her to gasp in air, her chest heaving with the effort. When his eyes shined brighter and the shadows around him grew to obscure the sunlight, she looked up at him for the first time with pure terror. It sent a jolt of pleasure through him and he grinned, his fangs long enough to kill with a single bite.

"Leave now before I change my mind," he said. "And inform this _Madame_ of yours that the presence of her or any one of her associates on this property will not be tolerated."

With that, he threw the woman to the side. He was surprised when she managed to keep hold of the dagger, but when she came to a stop she didn't move. For a moment he worried that he'd gotten carried away. However just when he was about to step forward to check on her, she pushed herself up on shaky limbs and looked back at him as if to confirm that what she'd seen wasn't a vision. Sebastian allowed the shadows to flicker out from him like black fire, and he heard the woman's heart speed up even faster before she took off into the forest.

He didn't follow her but listened. She stumbled her way to a horse she'd tied up further into the expanse of greenery. A moment later, she spurred the horse and it galloped away, its hoof beats vibrating through the ground and beating like a drum along the forest floor. If he had more time, Sebastian would have followed the woman to find out for himself who had sent her, but he had other things to do. For the time being, he allowed himself the satisfaction of having terrified the woman so deeply that he was sure she would convince her superior to call off the hit on Faye, at least while she was staying under Phantomhive's roof.

Sebastian took out his pocket watch and sighed as he looked at the time. "Oh dear, ten minutes behind schedule already." He snapped it closed and turned back toward the manor. "It can't be helped. I'll have to work diligently to make up for this diversion."

That is, he would have worked diligently if it weren't for the mess he came back to. He smiled, eye twitching as he entered the kitchen to find Bard with his flamethrower – again. Just what he needed. He knew it was only a matter of time, but really, with a guest in the floor just above? Vermin though she was, she was to be shown every courtesy of the Phantomhive estate, and that included a decent rest without explosions or fires to interrupt her. He confiscated Bard's toy and, with a deep breath, set to work.

* * *

 _A/N: *clawing my way out of the ground* I'M ALIIIIIVE. And sorry for such a stankin late update, I swear I haven't forgotten this story! To prove it, I gave you my longest chapter yet. And also, my excuse goes as follows: I was running around New Zealand for a week, then running around California for a week, and am now road tripping it to Iowa where I shall continue stupid school for stupid future choices and all that. (Don't listen to me, kids, school is important - I'm just a grouch). Anywhoodle, it's a good thing it took me this long anyway because I caught something that was so horribly OOC I actually facepalmed, whoopdeedoo! And speaking of OOC, please do tell me if you find any instances of it with any canon characters. It's so hard to write children that aren't mine. That being said, as faithful as I'm trying to be to the characters, well, sometimes exceptions must be made for reasons. *cough cough ROMANCE cough* What? Did someone say something? I sure didn't. Why are y'all staring at me? Go write a review or something. (Pretty pretty please, I love you.)_

 _ON THE SUBJECT OF REVIEWS. Thanks to all of you lovely people who reviewed last chapter. This one was for you because you nagged me to cut the crap and do the thing. Yay!_

 _Now without further ado, I bid you adieu!_

 _Was that a horrible pun? Yes it was. You're welcome. I'll be here again next week unless the snow kills me._


	5. Oath of Retribution

Chapter Five - Oath of Retribution

Madame Lavoie stared at the cardinal and gold-patterned carpet, curtseying so that her dress pooled at her feet. She remained silent, her maids standing next to her with bowed heads and clasped hands, waiting for further instruction.

Augustus Everleigh sat in front of the women at a desk with rich wood that complemented the tapestries on the walls. Behind him was an ever-present shadow, a man dressed in black, whom no one but Lord Everleigh had ever heard speak. His black hair framed his rose-colored eyes, the perfect contrast to his lord's blond hair. As Everleigh crossed his legs, holding the women before him in suspense, the demon in his shadow stared unblinkingly at something far beyond the room.

"My daughter," Everleigh said at last, his voice resonating throughout the silence. "I welcome you to my home. Please, rise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The Madame straightened, her head still bowed, as she responded, "I have come to you on behalf of one of my sisters, who returned just this afternoon from monitoring the traitor, Sister Sinclair."

Everleigh paused to glance back at his shadow, whose eyes snapped downward to focus on the Madame. A dark aura seemed to surround him, though neither the Madame nor her maids noticed. Augustus grinned at his partner's simmering rage.

"And what did your sister have to report?" he asked, turning back to the Madame.

"She sustained heavy injuries, my lord. A man with red eyes, who claimed to be the Phantomhive's butler, attacked her though she did not actively engage. She said his strength and speed were inhuman. I come to you because we do not have the resources to deal with someone like him."

Everleigh frowned and allowed his voice to raise, though he did not shout. "You have sent but one of your underlings and deign to resort to me so quickly? What was the purpose in creating your sect if you are so incompetent that you cannot handle a butler, of all things?"

"Forgive me, Lord Everleigh," the Madame pleaded and seemed to shrink into the carpet. "But this man caught bullets with his bare hands."

"Oh?" Everleigh raised an eyebrow and sat up straight. "And he had red eyes, you say."

He fell silent as he looked at his shadow, whose dark power grew to the point of suffocating the candles that flickered in the furthest corners of the room.

"Hugo," he hissed, snapping his partner out of his wrath. The shadows retreated. Hugo turned his rose eyes to his lord and bowed apologetically, then reset his gaze to something beyond the room. Everleigh sighed and returned his attention to Madame Lavoie.

"I will take your concerns into account, my daughter. For now, go and be at peace. The traitor will learn her place one way or another, but that issue is now in my hands. Cleanse yourself of this problem and attend to your other obligations."

The Madame pressed her hands together as though praying. "I thank you for your graciousness, my lord. Truly, a humble servant like myself does not deserve your kindness."

Everleigh inspected his nails with pursed lips, despising but accepting the false flattery. "Peace be with you, daughter."

With that, the Madame and her servants curtseyed one last time before they retreated with their mistress out the intricate double doors. Once the doors closed, Hugo snarled, flaring his power so that the candles funneled upward into individual firestorms, then dispersed and left the room in darkness. Everleigh rolled his eyes.

"It is fortunate we moved those away from the tapestries."

"Forgive me, master," Hugo said, his voice a deep growl. His eyes glowed a crimson that betrayed his calm demeanor.

Everleigh chuckled, leaning his head on his fist. "My, my. Possessive, aren't we? I was under the impression she rejected you."

Hugo hissed and his black nails grew into long claws. "Not another word from you, Augustus. You cannot possibly understand this matter."

"On the contrary, I think it is a fairly common problem that many parents have to face. Of course, not many fail as stupendously as you did."

Hugo bared his fangs, but exhaled and regained control over his temper. His claws retracted and his eyes ceased their evil glow.

"You are lucky your soul is yet unripe, my lord, or I'd be rid of you now."

Everleigh laughed as he stood to face his partner, who was a head taller than him despite his own stature. "For a demon you are surprisingly bad at lying."

"Demons cannot lie," Hugo said, passive, and his master sighed.

"And you're so boring, too. Well, I guess it can't be helped." He grinned. "How badly do you want your daughter back, demon?"

The response he got was another dangerous growl, and his smile widened. He would take great pleasure in doing all he could to thwart his demon's attempts at reuniting with his daughter, if only to have some form of entertainment. The girl would have to count herself lucky. For the time being, she would go free. However, seeing as how she did betray him and his order, he couldn't very well let her get away with it forever. She would get what she deserved, one way or another. He wondered just how her father would react. The demon was bound by contract, but was the bond of blood stronger? Everleigh delighted to find the answer.

He turned and glided past his desk to leave the study, Hugo following behind him. The sensible side of his brain told him that he was playing with fire and could only end up burning himself if he continued. But there was an even larger side of him that leapt with joy at the prospect of outsmarting a demon. Could he do it? There was only one way to know. He grinned as Hugo held the door open for him. Oh, how he anticipated the coming storm.

xxXXxx

The kitchen, as it usually did when Sebastian took over, smelled like heaven. A simple lunch was out on the servant's table but the leftover aroma was for the young master's meal – and of course Miss Faye's as well. The poor girl was still eating in bed, but she was getting stronger, she was.

Mey Rin adjusted her glasses as she reached out and picked up one of the sandwiches. She giggled at some over-exaggerated story that Bard was telling, and Finny looked up at the older man with star-struck eyes. Tanaka sat at the end of the table, sipping his green tea peacefully in his chibi form. The manor had been peaceful as of late, but the maid couldn't help but wonder if the appearance of Miss Faye spoke of some ill omen. She'd helped Sebastian patch up the girl's wounds and there was no way the culprit didn't have evil intentions – it just wasn't normal how torn up she was.

"Oi, Mey Rin," Bard barked.

"Huh?" Mey Rin asked, jumping as she came back to the present.

"I _said_ , how's the little lady doing? Haven't seen her come out of her room yet."

"Oh, she's doing fine, she is. Just needs a few more days to rest. She still hasn't said a word, I'm afraid."

"Well as long as she's getting better," Bard smiled, then leaned forward almost conspiratorially. "You don't think the master's gonna let her leave once she's healed, do you?"

Finny looked distressed. "I hope not! We haven't found out who did that to her!"

"Who said it was a who?" Bard asked, leaning back in his chair and adjusting the unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"What do you mean?" Finny asked, looking between him and Mey Rin with wide eyes.

"I'm just saying she looked like some beast's meal when she turned up. Ain't no way a normal person did that."

"W-well Mister Sebastian said it looked like knife wounds," Mey Rin said, then took a bite of her sandwich (Sebastian always made the best of food, yes he did).

"Then it was a lunatic," Bard amended. "But not a normal person."

Finny folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on top. "Well, whoever or whatever it was, I hope the young master figures it out quickly. I can't believe anyone would do something like that to a lady."

Bard harrumphed and pulled out his lighter. As he flicked it, sparks flew up but the flame didn't light. He tried a few more times, while Mey Rin and Finny leaned backward with terror – they saw what the old soldier didn't. Sebastian was behind him, a close-eyed smile in place and a dark aura surrounding him.

"Hello, everyone," the butler said (and Bard squeaked). "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Bard shoved the lighter into his pocket and turned around with a salute. "No, sir, nothing to interrupt here!"

"Splendid; because I have the distinct sense that there is a lack of devotion to the time constraints I reminded you of this morning. Our guest will be arriving in just a few short hours, and less than half the work I've given you seems to be completed."

The group of servants (minus Tanaka) jumped to their feet with loud exclamations, each apologizing and dashing off to do the tasks they were assigned. Finny stuffed a few sandwiches in his mouth as he went, Bard disappeared into the pantry to retrieve ingredients, and Mey Rin skittered out the door on her way to the library. She had a lot of dusting to do, she did.

The long hallways were empty like they normally were, but it was never lonely. Rich colors and elegant carvings lined the floors and the walls, and no matter how many times she passed them by, she was always amazed at their beauty. She was lucky Ciel had taken her in, she was. The master was so kind. She wouldn't have been surprised if he invited the girl to stay with them, either. How exciting would that be! There would be another woman with whom to swoon over all the gorgeous men…

Mey Rin giggled, a blush lighting on her cheeks. She tried to push those thoughts away as she grabbed the cleaning supplies, but she stumbled almost drunkenly to the library. As usual, it was empty. She started at the tables and wiped them down, though there wasn't much reason to considering how seldom anyone used them. It didn't take long for her to move onto the shelves of books and the most dreaded part of cleaning the library – ladders. The only way for her to reach all that she needed to dust was to climb the wooden contraptions, thankfully connected to the shelves so they wouldn't fall over.

She picked up the bucket full of cleaning supplies and looped it onto her arm, then began her ascent, only wobbling a little. Every time she climbed up the ladders, she liked to think her coordination with her glasses was improving. Once she reached the top she ran the duster over the surface of the bookcase and over the books, caressing a few of the spines with loving care. She moved down the ladder to the next shelf and carried on as such.

It wasn't until the second bookcase that she ran into any trouble. She was close to the ground, thank heavens, but as she stepped down to hop off the ladder her shoe slipped on the slick wood. She flailed. Almost in slow motion she missed any decent purchase and grabbed ahold of a few books. She squeaked and fell backward, the cleaning supplies emptying onto the floor, the books following her as she landed on her back. The world spun. A book flopped squarely on her face and she yelped. Her backside and head throbbed as she lay there, stars floating about her vision. Something touched her shoulder, not a falling book, but something gentle. The book floated away from her face so she could see. With a deep breath, she adjusted her glasses and squinted up at the face above her – a beautiful woman with pink eyes and dark purple hair and -

She gasped and sat up. The quiet woman scooted back at the sudden movement, clutching the book to her chest as she eyed Mey Rin.

"Miss Sain Clair," Mey Rin said, getting to her knees. "What are you doing up? I could have gotten anything if you needed help, I could! Are you alright?"

Faye nodded, her surprise melting into a gentle smile. She looked down at the book in her hands and inspected it. It didn't seem to Mey Rin there was any damage. After determining the same, Faye glanced up at the empty portion of shelf that the book had come from. Mey Rin, catching onto what she was thinking, placed her hand on Faye's.

"Oh you don't need to worry about this, miss, I can take care of it. I don't want you to hurt yourself!"

Faye stared at her without blinking for the longest moment and Mey Rin couldn't help the embarrassed blush that spread on her cheeks. The woman's eyes were such a strange color, and they seemed to say everything that she couldn't. Mey Rin got the feeling that Faye was staring right through her to gather some sort of secret information, and she found herself glad that she wore the glasses the young master gave to her. After a painfully long pause, a small smile lit up Faye's face, taking away some of the effects of the malnourishment she'd suffered. She stood and gave the book to Mey Rin, then turned to the other side of the shelves to look for something to read.

Mey Rin let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and picked up a few more of the fallen books, glancing over at Faye once more and noticing that she was still in her nightgown. The young master had already received his order for her dresses, and it wouldn't do to have the lady walking around in her night clothes all the time… but she supposed for the time being it would be okay. It was hardly possible for the lady to wear a corset in the state she was, after all.

She looked up at the empty shelf and felt part of her soul seep out of her – Sebastian would be so angry if he found out! And she'd probably end up falling again, but she needed to put them back… Perhaps if she'd ask Bard?

"Oh no, no, I can't do that," she said under her breath as she shook her head. Bard was busy with his own tasks. She glared at the shelf with determination and stepped up on the stool – not the ladder seeing as how well that went last time and – so far so good. The stool didn't wobble as she grabbed one of the books and reached up, standing on her toes to slide it back into place. She grinned and continued the same process with as much care as possible. Once that load of books was back in its place, she turned around to grab some more and spotted Faye standing at a shelf and thumbing through a hefty novel.

The maid lifted her glasses just enough to see what Faye was looking at and she cringed at the choice. Not a very good one at all. She let her glasses fall back on her nose and edged over to where Faye was. The woman didn't appear to notice her.

"You like reading, do you?" Mey Rin asked.

Faye blinked up at her and gave her a shy nod. She glanced back at the book and then held it up, giving Mey Rin a questioning look.

"Do you want my opinion, miss?"

She received another nod from Faye and the maid smiled like she'd just won the lottery.

"Oh that's wonderful, it is! No one else wants to read the books I like or even read books much at all. The one you have isn't very good." She took the book and put it back, then grasped Faye's hand and led her over to the section that held one of her favorites. "It's okay if you like mystery, I suppose, but the romance in it is dreadful, it is. What's the point of a story with no dashing princes and beautiful heroines?"

Mey Rin pulled Faye up to the shelf she was looking for and then let go of her hand as she ran her finger over the spines. The titles blurred in and out of focus as she squinted, trying to find the book she had in mind. If she didn't know the writing and the cover so well it might have been more difficult to pick out, but she was able to find it. She pulled it out and held it up with a gleeful chortle.

"This one's one of my favorites, it is! The hero is a daring noble and all the ladies of the land are trying to get his attention, but he's not interested in any of them. He's got a secret life in the criminal underground and that's where he meets – oh, you'll just have to read it, you will! I can't do it justice."

She held it out and Faye took it with a gentle smile.

"You'll probably finish that one in a flash, yes. Take it for now and I'll bring you more later, I will! But you should go back to your room and rest. Sebastian won't be happy to see you wandering around while you're still recovering."

Faye put a hand on Mey Rin's shoulder and squeezed, prompting a shy smile from the maid. With a slight curtsey, Faye clutched the book to her chest and left the library, her bare feet as silent as a cat's.

Mey Rin covered her mouth to conceal an excited squeal. Maybe Faye wasn't able to talk about the story, but at least she finally had someone who would understand her love for books! She really hoped that the young master offered the purple-haired woman a place to stay, she did.

A smile now firmly on her lips, Mey Rin tottered back to the pile of books she left on the floor. As she came around the corner, she stopped with a gasp. Sebastian stood where the books used to be, clapping his hands as though to rid them of some dust. All of the books were back in their place. He turned to Mey Rin with a glare and she swallowed, trembling.

"M-m-mister Sebastian! I was just about to c-clean that up, I was."

Sebastian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear I don't know what I am to do with you, Mey Rin."

"I-I'm so sorry, I'll do better next time, I will!"

"Well it can't be helped," he said and gave her a reassuring smile. "Just please be careful from now on, okay?"

Mey Rin blushed and nodded, unable to respond beyond her chagrin. Sebastian walked toward the door, but just before he left, he turned around again.

"Ah yes, I did have a question. Has our guest said anything to you yet?"

Mey Rin frowned. She thought Faye wasn't able to talk… "Oh, n-no she hasn't, Mister Sebastian. Quiet as ever, she is."

Sebastian nodded. "Alright, thank you, Mey Rin."

The maid smiled again, held her breath until the door closed behind him, and then sank to her knees, framing her warm face with her hands. She'd disappointed him again, she did! That meant she'd have to work extra hard the rest of the day! With a surge of determination, Mey Rin got to her feet and set to finishing her tasks as efficiently as she could. One day she'd prove to be a maid worthy of the Phantomhive manor.

xxXXxx

Evening came quickly for the Phantomhive butler. There had been too much to do in too little time, and he could only focus part of his attention on his tasks as he puzzled over that woman's peculiar behavior. He knew he hadn't been hearing things that first time Faye had woken up. It might have been a whisper, a silent exclamation, but there was no doubt in his mind that she had the capability of speaking. So why, then, did she refuse to utter a word? Apart from that time, he hadn't even heard her when no one was in her room. He wanted to blame it on the strangeness of human nature, but how much of her nature was human? She was far from being a demon, certainly, but did that make her any closer to being human? He couldn't have begun to guess. However, human food seemed to do wonders for her. Even in the past few days her skin, once grey and almost ghostly, was regaining some pinkish color. She had a ways to go, but it wouldn't take long.

He looked down at the food on the cart he was pushing through the hallways for her supper. If she chose, she could take a human soul. She would heal and become the immortal being that rested dormant inside her. Yet in all her years – he would guess somewhere around twenty, though all bets were off with how prolonged a half-breed's life could be – she remained a shell. An opaque image of her true potential. What could possibly have driven her to remain in such a revolting state?

Ordinarily he would dispose of a demon in his territory without a second thought, but she posed no threat to him as she was, nor would she even if she accepted her otherworldly nature. On top of that… he grinned as he came up to her door and knocked lightly. She hadn't the slightest idea who she was dealing with. It would be so simple to make her an offer that would forever put her in his debt, and she would be none the wiser. The prospect of expanding his influence was a delightful one, indeed, though she still had yet to prove herself worth the trouble.

He received no answer from Faye at his knock, not that he expected to, so he pushed the door open a crack and said, "I have your dinner for the evening, Miss Sain Clair."

When he opened the door fully, he was less than surprised to see her curled up on the bed, completely absorbed in the novel Mey Rin had given her. She didn't acknowledge him as he pushed the cart next to the bed.

"Taking reading advice from our beloved maid, I see," he said, recognizing the title and the somewhat… risqué content of the story therein.

Faye moved the book just enough to look at him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She sighed and put the book down next to her. As she resituated herself, Sebastian placed the tray of food on her lap.

"For tonight's dinner we have tuna tartare, served with a blend of Hokkaido scallop, Uni mousse, Persian cucumber, and a light touch of truffle-yuzu vinaigrette. On the side we have a spring salad with fresh mint, as well as green beans roasted with oil and salt. For the beverage I would recommend a light sauvignon blanc…" he grinned and poured her a glass of water. "But of course in your state I don't think you'd hold that very well."

The glare he received was delicious. He couldn't quite tell if it was because he was taunting her with wine or if it was the simple act of taunting her at all. Either way, she turned her nose up at him and picked up the silverware to cut into her meal with a dignified wrath.

"Should you require anything further, I ask that you please ring the bell and wait here for either I or Mey Rin to assist you. The master has a guest over tonight and would rather his meeting remain uninterrupted. That means no wandering the halls."

She sniffed with disdain at the command in his voice and he briefly wondered where her courage had come from, considering how nervous she'd been of him from the start. He could still smell her fear underneath the façade.

"I realize you may be getting restless," Sebastian continued, "so tomorrow if you are feeling well, I have the time to take you on a tour of the manor. You should get to know it, if you plan on taking up my lord's offer."

He watched Faye closely for any reaction. Most often she could hide behind her mask quite well, but her eyes were a different story. So very emotive. The twitch of her eyebrow and the flash of uncertainty that flitted across her magenta irises told him everything he needed to know. Perhaps a little coaxing would be in order… though honestly, he wouldn't be dismayed to see her go.

"If you don't need anything else from me," he said with a small bow. "I have matters I must attend."

He turned around but as he took a step forward, he felt a tug on his sleeve. How unexpected. He looked down at her as she stared intently at the meal before her.

"Yes?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

The woman worried her lip, a habit he noticed whenever she was unsure. She let go of him and reached over to the paper and quill on the bedside table. With a hiss, she pulled her hand back. The pain on her face lasted only a moment before she schooled her features, though he knew that whatever she did hurt a lot more than she let on. He wondered at that for a moment – did she not want to show any weakness, or was she perhaps used to similar pain? She'd had a number of old scars that he noticed when he was patching her up…

Sebastian grabbed the writing tools for her and took her plate so she had room to write. She nodded her thanks and dipped the quill in ink, tapping it on the edge of the well to rid it of excess. Sebastian's eyes widened as he saw the three simple words she scrawled onto the page.

 _What are you?_

He hadn't thought she would be so direct. Then again, he hadn't exactly been hiding his power from her.

"Well my dear," he flashed his close-eyed grin. "I am simply one hell of a butler."

She scowled, glaring up at him with an irritation so fierce it might have been intimidating to see, had she not been so frail, and had he been a lesser being. He spread his lips into a wicked smirk and his eyes glowed magenta.

"I would have thought the answer obvious, considering your heritage."

Her glare melted into an almost invisible crease in her brow. He gave a dark chuckle and watched as her uncertainty wavered between fear and wariness. Her eyes searched his for the hidden meaning behind his words, but he had no qualms with revealing what he knew. She looked back at the page and dipped the quill in ink again but froze as he lifted her chin to meet his glowing gaze. He leaned forward, speaking in a low purr that sent a shudder through her small frame.

"I know a lot more about you than you think, Miss Sain Clair. Including the nature of the blood that runs through your veins."

He traced his thumb over her lower lip, his grin turning triumphant when he heard her breaths quicken. She jerked her head away from him and stared across the room, trying and failing to hide her fear. Not for the first time, she clutched the sheets so her knuckles turned white. He chuckled as he returned her plate.

"Do enjoy the meal, miss. I shall return later to collect your dishes."

With that, he left, satisfied to hear her pounding heart even as he moved down the hall. How intriguing. Perhaps he wouldn't mind keeping her around, after all. If only to have something extra to toy with.

* * *

 _A/N: Ahaha... hiiiii. I've just noticed that, as per my last little note, I should technically be dead in the snow right now and... well, I sort of am. It IS snowing. But anywho, I wasn't planning on another semester of college so soon, but here I am, working myself into the ground because money and life and things. It's all good, everything's fiiiiiine. Yes, college is my excuse for this taking so long, but here you go, a chapter! Hope you enjoyed it and sorry about the wait, but it's going to be like this for a long time. I simply don't know when I'll be able to write because life. That being said, I do adore this story and I want to complete it - it'll just take a while. Thank you for your patience!_


	6. Change of Mind

Chapter Six - Change of Mind

Ciel entered his room that night with an irritated sigh. The meeting was just as insightful as it was a roadblock. There was more than one Wilkinson in the family that forged swords, and apparently the one who crafted Faye's dagger was not Henry Wilkinson Head of the Wilkinson Company, but Bertram Wilkinson the estranged son of Henry Wilkinson. It would be a hassle just trying to find out where Bertram had ended up, considering the last time he spoke to his father was some twenty years ago. Ciel would have to ask Sebastian to look into the matter.

"Discouraged, my lord?" Sebastian asked. Ciel sat down on his bed with a huff.

"Not at all. This investigation has only just begun. Have you put together what you've found on the death of Lord Bernard Turner?"

"I have," Sebastian said. He knelt down to untie Ciel's shoe laces.

"Make sure it's on my desk to read in the morning, then."

"Already done, my lord."

Ciel grunted. "While we're on the subject, how is Miss Faye?"

"Much better than she was when you saw her, my lord. I do believe she is strong enough now for a tour of the mansion; I found her wandering about in the library today."

He removed the first of Ciel's shoes and the boy tapped his finger, deep in thought.

"How close are you to learning anything from her?"

Sebastian paused, but Ciel couldn't read his expression. Not that it was unusual, but there seemed something that the demon was unsure of.

"If you mean to ask whether or not she's told me anything, she is keeping her mouth well and truly shut. In both the figurative and literal senses."

"But has she told anything to you by accident?"

The demon gave him a small smile. "These things take time, my lord. For now I can be certain that she has lied about her ability to speak, but that is all."

Ciel huffed and glared at the wall as Sebastian removed his socks. There was no doubt the demon was hiding something, but he had no idea what. He hadn't thought of specific enough questions to get it out of him, he supposed. At the least, there was another matter he could ask about which had been bothering him since the meeting with the Undertaker.

"Sebastian, you've had dealings with this assassin order in the past."

The demon grinned, genuinely pleased. "Indeed I have."

"Well then, what do you know about them?"

"Not much, to be honest," Sebastian put his hand to his chin in thought. "When I ran into them, I wasn't concerned with who they were, only with getting rid of their nuisance. As it turns out, they were more difficult to deal with than I had first presumed."

"Why?"

Sebastian grinned. "Ah, there is where my answers run out, my lord. They were strong but still human, so their ability to survive skirmishes with me and give me enough trouble to seek to eradicate them was unprecedented."

"You tried to eradicate them?" Ciel raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite. I was going to, but they went into hiding before I could, and I hadn't the energy to devote to searching after them."

"Hm…" Ciel frowned as he tried to puzzle this matter out, but he knew that answers would continue to evade him until he pursued after the matter directly. That ball was coming up, if he recalled, and if there was something shady going on in the Covington manor then he would surely find out. It was bothersome that neither of his investigations were revealing any fruit as of yet, but the game had only just begun. The matter with Faye was closer at hand and was the mystery he thought would sort itself out sooner. He had hoped that maybe Faye might offer them some answers, but it had been nearly a week and she was still resolutely silent.

Sebastian began to unbutton Ciel's shirt, and the boy chanced a quick look up at the demon. He couldn't get a read on him, but still he sensed that there was something about this subject that the demon wasn't speaking of. Again, Ciel knew he hadn't asked the right questions yet. Perhaps asking after Faye directly wasn't the avenue he needed to be taking. At least, not until something came up in his own investigations. He wouldn't send Sebastian after this "Madame" character – not yet. As soon as the butler left the property there would be undue trouble and he simply didn't want to deal with that, let alone put Faye in unnecessary danger.

"Tomorrow I want you to have Miss Faye dressed properly to meet the rest of the staff," he said. "And I want her answer as to whether or not she'll be staying."

"Oh, I don't think you'll need to worry about that, my lord," Sebastian said with a saccharine smile.

Ciel narrowed his eye. "Well then, seeing as how you're going to be spending a good portion of the day with her, then I expect you to gain some information of import."

"Yes, my lord."

Sebastian finished dressing him in his night clothes. However, as he laid down to rest, there came a timid knock at his door. Ciel froze, thinking the worst, but his servants wouldn't have been so conservative with the noise. He reached for his eyepatch, which Sebastian tied back in place, and then stood, motioning for the door. Sebastian took his time and Ciel almost expected whoever had been there to leave. His eye widened as the butler opened the door to reveal Miss Faye, who had turned, it seemed, to walk away. She grimaced before she turned to look at him through the doorway. He noticed that she resolutely refused to make eye contact with Sebastian and stored that information away for a later date.

"My lady Sain-Clair," he said with a smile. "It is good to see you up. Do come in."

Faye clutched the papers in her hand tighter and kept her eyes fixed on the carpet as she came forward. Sebastian shut the door gently behind her and, for a moment, Ciel thought he saw something akin to fear flash across her eyes, but he couldn't be certain.

"Please," he said, motioning to one of his chairs by the fire. "Sit."

The lady did so, stiffly, and Ciel knew that whatever supernatural healing ability she might have had, it wasn't nearly as strong as Sebastian's. Her wounds still gave her discomfort. He sat in the chair next to hers and crossed his legs. Something told him that such a meeting in the night was improper but he doubted Faye would have sought him out unless it was important. Especially considering she had not yet received a tour of the mansion and should therefore have no idea where his room was.

"To what do I owe such a late visit?" he asked.

Faye shifted in her chair and looked down at the papers in her lap. The top one, he noticed, already had a lengthy message written out on it. She handed it to him.

 _My Lord Phantomhive,_ it began, _I apologize to have come to you at such a late hour, but I feel that I can put this off no longer. I must thank you for your hospitality – I surely would not have survived without it. You have been very good to me and I do not want you to think that I am ungrateful for the kindness you have shown me. However, I am afraid I must refuse your offer. I cannot stay here. In the morning, I will leave at first light. I thank you again for your compassion._

Ciel pressed his lips together as he finished reading the note. He had nothing to worry about, Sebastian had said. Yet here Faye was, about to leave his protection and walk right into her death. She might have been strong enough to leave bed, but she was in no condition to carry on outside just as the winter was beginning to start in earnest. That was assuming she wasn't found by her pursuers, either. Ciel placed the page on the small coffee table between them and glanced at Sebastian. The demon had a perfectly blank face, but Ciel knew he had been able to read the words. He turned his eye to Faye, who stared into the fire and chewed on her lip.

"Do you mind if I ask why you came to this decision, my lady?"

Faye closed her eyes for a moment and released her lip. She turned to watch him for a long moment, then looked back at his desk. Sebastian took the hint and brought her ink and a quill. Still, she did not look at him, even as she took the small vial.

 _I have no ties at home anymore, so I cannot claim familial longing. But I cannot stay here, my lord. It is too close to London._

Ciel read the message and passed it back to her, frowning. "If you are worried after your safety, my lady, I assure you that you will find no better safe haven than in these halls."

Faye shook her head and wrote, _It is not physical well-being I am worried about, my lord. But every time I look outside I am reminded of how close I am to the place –_ here she paused – _that I suffered for these past months. I cannot stand the thought of it._

"I understand," Ciel sighed. If that was the truth then he doubted her decision could be swayed. However if past conversations were any evidence, then there was a lot she wasn't telling him. "If you would wish it, I would be glad to lend you transportation, at least to a port city or someplace you might be able to stay in safety. I would hate it if you were found again."

This brought forth a genuine smile on Faye's face, and for a moment, Ciel saw her as she might have been before all this happened – beautiful, kind, innocent. He knew she wasn't innocent, least of ways not of lying to him, but that didn't mean that she had any sinister agenda.

 _I again thank you for your kindness, Lord Phantomhive. But I believe that I shall be fine to travel on my own from here. I won't be going through cities._

Ciel nodded. It made sense. Why would she go through places that reminded her of the torture she suffered? He wished he had that luxury. But as she stood and curtseyed to him, he couldn't help the tugging in his heart. He knew that if she left, he would never see her again. Not because their paths wouldn't cross, but because they couldn't. She would die.

Faye left the room. Sebastian shut the door behind her and turned to him, waiting for orders. Ciel's face hardened and he stood with his chin raised.

"Do not let her leave, Sebastian. Do everything you can to convince her to stay. I will not let her walk into her death."

The demon, absent of his usual smile, placed a hand over his heart and bowed. "Yes, my lord."

With that, the demon left. Ciel retrieved his robe and stepped into his slippers before he exited his room and made his way toward his study. The Undertaker had made clear that Faye's dagger had some connection to the death of this Lord Bertrand. Perhaps he could gain some insight into her if he read what the demon compiled. At the very least, he hoped Sebastian had figured out more than he was letting on. Then maybe he had a chance at stopping her.

Ciel paused in front of his study before he'd even placed a hand on the doorknob. A thought flashed through his mind. He questioned why he was bothering to save this woman. She was a stranger and had nothing she could offer to him in services that Sebastian could not. He shouldn't care – he knew he shouldn't. But the way her eyes lit up at his offer, the way her smile softened the hard edges of her face. She, like him, had not seen much kindness in this world. He would be damned if he let her die without doing all he could to prevent it.

With a nod to affirm this, he opened the door. It was time he figured out what this Bernard fellow had to do with Faye.

xxXXxx

She should have known that it wasn't going to be so easy to leave behind this place. It hadn't taken long for Sebastian to catch up to her – she'd only just made it to her room, down the hall from Ciel's. She stood, her back facing the door which the butler had just opened, and she waited with stiff shoulders. Sebastian stepped inside and closed the door, letting it click shut behind him. Faye didn't like that sound. Too much of a finality.

"You know," he said, velvet voice floating through the air and wrapping around her ears. "I must admit that I cannot quite seem to understand you, my lady. You seem to be rather determined to do whatever you must to fight for your survival, but at the same time you insist on throwing yourself into danger. Having trouble making up your mind?"

Anger flashed through her at the implication behind his words and she turned to glare at him, hoping that the look would be enough to drive him away. Foolish.

"My master is quite adamant that I keep you safe, my lady." He took a few calculated steps forward; she didn't back away. "Surely you know that the moment you leave my protection, those people will come after you."

She didn't blink. Didn't look away. Didn't move to make an answer. Instead she lifted her chin in challenge.

 _So stop me,_ she dared, made sure it was written in every line in her face. Foolish indeed. Jumping into danger indeed.

"Don't tell me you think that you have a chance of standing up to me," he said, expression turning harder. "You know by now what I am."

Faye raised an eyebrow – _what's your point?_

"You don't even have the power to stand up to those who hunt you. What sort of hellion like yourself could fall to such great depths?"

Her eyes widened, shocked at first, but then furious. She took a threatening step forward. Just what was he implying? Hellion? How dare that stuck-up, smirking, piece of –

Sebastian's face slowly melted into realization as he watched the anger surge through her, and then he couldn't seem to help the cold laugh that left his lips. The sound stunned Faye. She couldn't decide whether to be horrified or outraged.

"Oh, this is rich," he said, a genuine smile alighting his face for the first time since she'd been here. "You don't even know what you are, do you?"

Faye paused, confused. Didn't know what she was? What did that –

She sucked in a breath as she remembered. Glowing red eyes, fanged smirk, voice like velvet, impossibly charismatic. But the face was different; it wasn't Sebastian's. It was the man who claimed to be her father. No, not a man. Something else.

She turned from Sebastian and wrapped her arms around herself. The images bombarded her – cruel nails, strong grip, knife cutting through skin like butter. What sort of father - ? But no, he hadn't started off that way. It wasn't until she turned him down, until she left him behind, until she betrayed her sisters that he – heavy chains, empty stomach, no water, acrid stench. The days turned into weeks turned into months turned into – fire burning, scalding, scorching harsh marks into her back, empty screams, no more tears left to give, all she wanted was an end to the pain. Why couldn't they understand that she didn't walk away because she wanted to ruin them, but because she couldn't handle that life anymore, senseless killing, emotionless bloodlust, horrified screams of victims. What could she say to make them realize –

 _"Faye!"_ the voice snarled at her, pushing through her thoughts and tearing her from that place. It deposited her in a heap on soft carpet, cinnamon spices, cotton wrapped around her broken body. She gasped as her senses came back to her and she realized that Sebastian knelt in front of her, his hand gripping her chin. He stared into her eyes until he was satisfied at whatever he found. Then he stood.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a demon," he said.

She snarled up at him and surged to her feet, pain forgotten. She would have slapped him if it would have done any good. Something changed in his eyes then. It was subtle but instead of decoding his hidden messages she turned from him and sat on her bed, wishing he would leave her be. If she was to die, then she was to die.

"I don't want you here any more than you want to be here. But my master seems to think that you two share some common ground. He's doing everything in his power to find out who is hunting you, and I've no doubt he'll order me to do something about them when he does. However, you should know that he does not take kind to murderers taking advantage of his hospitality."

Faye whipped her head around to face him, nostrils flaring. Did he know?

Sebastian reached into his coat pocket and drew out an envelope sealed with, her heart clenched, his contract symbol. "Evgeniya Turner," he said.

Her face fell into absolute horror. She stared up at him with wide-eyes as he held her in cold regard. Just what did this butler know? How far had he dug into her past life?

"She was a sweet girl," he said. "Very close to you, I presume. Her father was an Englishman, her mother a Russian. Lord Bernard took you with him when he went to live in Russia, and you raised that girl. What a pity it was when her mother died of illness. What a pity when the daughter did the same. And you exacted your revenge on Bernard's poor treatment, didn't you? But you weren't caught because you kept the murder weapon with you when you fled. A dagger. The very same dagger my master is now keeping safe in his study."

Faye pressed her lips into a thin line. So he knew everything – or at least everything in public record, and he'd made some decent guess work about the rest. At least that was all he seemed to know. She still failed to understand what this had to do with her staying in the manor.

"I have on these papers everything that I've just said, only in more detail. Lord Phantomhive is smart, and he will be able to draw the same conclusions I have. The report I gave him on your past does not include this information, but should you leave this property I will have no choice but to show him everything."

Sebastian held the papers out to her and she took them gently, fearfully. She opened them. Newspaper clippings, police reports, a few statistical charts – all of them translated into English, of course. Everything that could incriminate her was here.

"If you stay, then I won't show him these papers, and my master will have every reason to believe you're the innocent tutor you say you are. That will save you from his wrath, and believe me, since I am the one to carry out his orders, you don't want to suffer that."

Faye furrowed her brow, emotions swirling in her that made no sense. It couldn't have been that easy, there was no way. This butler couldn't care so much for his master's feelings, could he? He had to have some ulterior motive. That was the only explanation. Yet, as she looked up at him, she could find no evidence of anything but an assurance that he was not lying. And she knew that whatever end she would come to at his hands would somehow be far worse than those that hunted her.

Her hands tightened on the papers and she looked down at them again. Her choice was simple. Either leave and fight off a pack of brainwashed fools in her weakened state or stay with her past tucked away from Lord Phantomhive where, for whatever unfathomable reason, he had ordered his pet to protect her. Live or die. The answer should have come to her easily. But then, there was more to her situation than the demon knew. Would he really be able to fend off the advances of the beast that claimed her kinship? It would be easier to leave, come what may.

"Is it really so hard a decision?"

Faye glared up at Sebastian. He looked down on her with cold, calculating eyes and she could tell that he watched her as a scientist would their experiment. His presence was far more threatening than any of the Madame's forces. And yet… should he come into contact with the beast that hunted her… Perhaps he would survive. Perhaps neither of them would survive. If there was a chance, even the smallest chance that they would fight, then she might make an escape.

Finally, she stood. Sebastian's gaze followed her as she walked to the still-smoldering embers of the fire. She tossed the papers on the ashes. They burned. When she turned around, she was met with gleaming eyes and a completely unreadable expression.

"Well then, Miss Sain-Clair. Welcome aboard to the Phantomhive staff." He bowed with his hand over his chest. "I look forward to working with you."

* * *

 _A/N: Lmao, what? A chapter? I honestly doubt anyone even remembers this story exists. Oh well. Here is chapter. Have fun. Maybe I won't drop off the face of the planet for half a year this time. Maybe I will. Depends on things I guess?_


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